Intensity
by Lollimint
Summary: "You...Naruto may have saved you from your darkness, but not from this. No one can save you from her," NejiHina. Possessive Neji.


**First of all, YES I KNOW THEY ARE COUSINS! So, if you don't like it, you can still read it, you can even leave your own clever little flame. But I really don't care either way. **

**Now, for all of you, who like me, really love this pairing, please give me your opinion. Your input is more than welcome. Of course you don't have to if you don't want to… *sniff sniff***

**This is my first attempt at a story like this so hopefully I didn't butcher anything too badly D:**

**This is just kind of a prologue (well not really) you'll get what I mean as the story goes on.**

**Happy reading!**

**XXX**

Every fiber of Hinata's being was begging her to stay on the ground.

Her insides felt like they had been pulverized, as if they had turned to jelly, and she wouldn't be surprised if they were. Neji was always thorough.

She tried with unsteady arms to raise herself off of the ground, but collapsed under her own weight.

"Not good Hinata-sama. Not good at all,"

She fell with a thud, the side of her face landing in the dirt. She was sweaty, grimy, and more than a little bloody. She looked up to her sparring partner with pleading eyes.

He made a clicking sound with his tongue. His arms were crossed and his gaze condescending. His eyes were cold, and the way he held himself was impassive. Well almost impassive—he still held the Hyuuga air of arrogance and superiority.

He wasn't even sweating, she noticed with chagrin. She couldn't be that bad, right?

His eyes roamed over her battered body for a few moments before he spoke.

"I've had enough of our 'training' for today. I will inform Hiashi-sama of our progress," He held that last word with disdainfully obvious sarcasm. And with that he turned and left, not even sparing her a second glance.

Hinata waited until after he left before she attempted to get up again. She had been able to rise to her knees before a sudden wave of nausea had her spilling her breakfast on the unsuspecting grass.

"Not again," she whispered as tears filled her eyes. "I won't cry because of him again," she whispered to herself even as the tears streaked down her porcelain face. She looked up towards the piercing blue sky, questioning.

"Why is our relationship still so…bad?" Hinata wondered miserably.

It was true that after his defeat against Naruto, Neji _had _improved. He was more tolerant towards his teammates and was no longer consumed with the bitter rage that had tortured him for so many years. Naruto had truly rescued him from the swirling darkness that threatened to ruin his life.

But even so, something was still wrong. Neji seemed to hate Hinata even more. Well, maybe not hate. Hinata could not exactly place it, but his disposition towards her was certainly not a friendly one.

Then what was it? Why couldn't things go back to the way they were before? Why was he still so cold to her? She had hoped things would gradually make their way back to how Hinata remembered it was in their childhood.

Hinata couldn't help but smile at the memory of a four year old Neji, proud but kind.

Hinata was sure that Neji would come back. In fact she still believed that if she waited long enough, and if she did her best to let him know her feelings towards him, things would turn out fine. They could be the happy family they used to be.

Well, maybe that was stretching things a little too far, but they could be friends right? Comrades? Acquaintances that sometimes spoke? Anything but… whatever this was.

With renewed strength Hinata began her private training routine. With every palm and finger strike, she felt her confidence rise. She could do this, she could _do_ this!

Much later, as the sun was setting, Hinata had to stop due to exhaustion. She had been training so had in the last few months with little to no breaks she felt it was about time for her week of rest, her Sabbath week. Basic exercises and katas were included of course, but nothing too extreme.

She trudged wearily but with satisfaction to the Hyuuga compound and then made her way into her room, ignoring the intense pain in her body, silently sliding the door open and shut. She inspected herself in her bedroom mirror.

"Gah!" she gasped at her reflection in the mirror. She really, _really_ needed a shower. Fortunately, she had a personal bathroom attached to her room and she quickly made her way to it.

She stripped herself of her clothes and stepped into the shower right after turning the water on.

"Things will work out, I only need to try harder. I will make Neji-niisan see," she whispered to herself quietly. She thought of a certain blonde haired boy and his determination, and immediately she smiled. Just the thought of her long term crush could bring her out of any stupor.

With a smile playing on her lips she started her hygienic routine. She soaped her shampoo through her navy blue hair, washing away the dirt and grime. After she rinsed the suds away she worked her conditioner though her hair.

Stepping out of the water's spray to let the conditioner set in, Hinata squeezed a palmful of body wash into her hands. She began to lather the soap on her body, starting with her arms, and then moving to her stomach, hissing slightly as the soap was rubbed into the wounds she received under Neji's harsh training.

She unknowingly began to hum as she moved upwards towards her chest which was unusually large for her young age. She had just become a genin, and yet her breasts were already developing. None of her girl-friends had a chest as big as hers.

She sighed as she began to wash the subjects in question, noting with embarrassment that they were much more trouble than they were worth.

"Hinata-sama," a deep voice suddenly called out to her, startling her so much that she slipped and crashed down in a splash right on her bottom. There was a slapping sound accompanied by a yelp.

She searched for where the voice had come from, making out a dark silhouette through the fogged glass of her oversized shower.

"N-Neji-niisan! What are y-y-y-," Hinata sputtered. _"I didn't even hear him come in. How long has he been standing there?"_

"Your Father sent me. You are late for dinner," Neji's voice seemed strained, but Hinata didn't ask any questions.

"Of c-course Neji-niisan. Thank you for informing me, please tell father I will be there in a few minutes. "

Hinata waited until she heard her bathroom door close before she scrambled off of the slippery tiled floor of her shower and rinsed the remaining soap from her body.

As she reached for her towel she realized she was shaking. She took a few deep breaths, willing the anxiety to go away. She then quickly dried herself off and stepped out of the ornate shower.

She stood in front of her bathroom mirror as she quickly dressed. After she was fully clothed, she stopped to study herself. She had short, boyish black hair with a strange blue tint and skin paler than the moon with translucent Hyuuga eyes to match.

Almost bitterly she noted that she didn't look anything like a ninja. She was so small, even for her gender and age it was laughable. She shook her head, trying to banish such thoughts.

_Nothing good ever comes from negativity, right?_

She slowly made her way to the Main House dining room. Walking down the long hallway that led to certain humiliation, she mentally steeled herself in preparation to face her father.

She knew her father loved her, he really did. She could see it in his eyes, the flash of sadness and regret every time he treated her cruelly. It was merely masked. Her father, she knew, was in terrible pain and heartbreak from losing his wife.

Hinata's mother was his world, she completed him. She softened and tempered him-guided him. When he lost her, something inside him withered and died, and he withdrew into an impenetrable shell.

And no one could reach him, not even his daughters.

Hinata lingered in front of the door, trying to build up the confidence to meet her family for dinner. She knew she had to go in sooner or later, but she just couldn't open the door.

She had been standing there for nearly five minutes before she heard a voice booming from the other side.

"We know you're out there HINATA! Hurry and open the door, moron! We've been waiting forever!"

The voice was followed by shushing and harsh but weak reprimanding.

Hanabi.

Even with her unruly and rebellious nature, the Elders still preferred her over Hinata. Not that Hinata could blame them. Hanabi was strong and had displayed excellent leadership abilities.

But the truth was, no matter how much the council tried to deny it, Hinata was now a better kunoichi than Hanabi, and her father knew it. But that was not the issue. Neither of them could hold a candle to Neji.

Hinata tried to shape her face to look as emotionless as possible as she opened the door and entered the room.

"Hiashi-sama, honorable Council. Forgive me. My lateness is inexcusable," Hinata recited as she folded herself into a deep bow. Through the curtain of her bangs, Hinata could see Neji seated across from her father. Neji was the only Branch member allowed to sit and actually eat with the Main Family.

In contrast, the rest of the Branch members kneeled along the perimeter of the enormous room, side by side, their backs to the wall while they watched their leaders eat their meal.

It was all for show, a picture of Main House superiority. It was repulsive.

Hinata was still bowed when one of the Elders spoke.

"Well get on with it, some of us would like to eat sometime tonight," Michiko, the oldest of the Elders drawled.

Thankful to have gotten off so easily, Hinata quickly straightened herself after a polite thank you.

She then took her place at the table, which regrettably, was diagonal to Neji. After what happened in the bathroom she was hoping to avoid him for the next couple of days, but fate seemed to want to toy with her.

She stared down at her food, not making eye contact with him, even though she could feel his intense gaze on her. She looked to Hanabi, her father, even Michiko, all while trying to avoid looking Neji in the eye.

She wondered if he saw anything...inappropriate, and paled at the thought. She did not think there was any way he could possibly think she was attractive, in fact, she was positive he would scoff at the very idea. She was just naturally a very modest and shy person. It was normal for her to worry about something like this, right?

Or maybe she was just overreacting, blowing this whole thing out of proportion.

She accidentally met his gaze while meticulously studying the molding of the wallpaper. His eyes seemed to pierce hers with something she could not recognize. It was unnerving; she hadn't expected him to be staring at her like that. Startled, she squeaked out a very un-Hyuuga like 'eep' and nearly fell over backwards.

All conversation that had been taking place suddenly ceased. Everyone then turned their attention to Hinata curiously. Embarrassed, she mumbled an apology and after a few awkward moments everyone resumed their conversations.

Face burning; Hinata tentatively glanced back up at Neji, who was engaged in conversation with one of the clan Elders about something or the other. Hinata was still a little disturbed by the way Neji had been looking at her. There had been something swirling in his ivory eyes that she could not recognize.

Dinner couldn't be over soon enough. As soon as the meal was over Hinata practically flew to her room after paying the Elders their proper respects.

Servants greeted her in the halls and she returned their greetings with a smile as she hurriedly made her way to her room.

She shed herself of her clothing and started to dress herself in the nightclothes laid out for her by the maids. She was halfway done when she heard a sharp knock on her door.

"Just a second!" she called out as she hastily finished dressing. She shuffled over to her door and slid it open to reveal Neji standing in front of her, his arms crossed and patience thinning.

"What took you so long?" Neji questioned, sounding harsh whether he wanted to or not.

"Sorry Neji-niisan I-I was dr-dressing…" Hinata stared at the floor, not daring to look her cousin in the eye.

Neji's eyes slowly drifted from her face to her body. Hinata took this opportunity to glance into his face.

Big mistake.

There was disgust clearly evident in his expression, and Hinata hurriedly looked back down, ashamed.

"I see," he paused for a moment before continuing," At any rate, I am here to inform you we will not be meeting for training for the next two weeks. I have been assigned a mission,"

"I-I understand niisan,"

Hinata looked up and gave him an earnest smile," I hope you will come back to us quite unharmed,"

"Yes…goodnight then Hinata-sama," Neji answered with a stiff bow, and after a short pause, silently left the room.

Hinata let a breath she wasn't aware she was holding and flopped down onto her bed. A whole 2 weeks without Neji...She would have to take this time to relax. Not physically, but mentally and emotionally. She could go and hang out with her teammates, have more time for gardening and making her home-made healing salves, and maybe even see Naruto.

She blushed furiously at this last thought, snuggling under the covers as she thought more of her precious Kyuubi-possessed boy.

xxx

"_Shit,"_

Hinata wasn't moving. Neji had struck a particularly vicious blow to her midsection and with sadistic pleasure had watched her skid and slam against the trunk of a tree. She now lies on the grass unmoving, sprawled out like a ragdoll.

Neji felt a tiny flash of relief as she started to push herself up. She failed, but hey, at least she tried. There weren't many people that could even move after a blow like that. Hinata had drastically improved since the chuunin exams.

But Neji wouldn't tell her that.

"Not good Hinata-sama, not good at _all_," Neji made certain his tone was monotone, not wanting to reveal the pleasure he had gained from using his own hands hurt her.

He let his eyes roam over her fragile-looking body and let out an inaudible sigh. Such a delicate girl should not be allowed to be a ninja. Hiashi was wasting his time. She was too…kind. She would never willingly hurt anybody.

"I've had enough of our 'training' for today. I will inform Hiashi-sama of our progress," Neji spat. He had to get away. A vulnerable looking Hinata did not bode well for his psyche. Especially that innocent look she had just given him. It made him want to make her scream. Scream _his _name as he caused her pain in ways she never thought possible.

Yeah, he was a sick bastard.

He needed to calm down, _now_. He quickly strode away from Hinata, needed to get as far away from her as possible.

He made his way over to his own personal training area he used when he wanted to be alone, and began warming up.

Yes, he had changed, if only a little. Naruto had made sure of that. His hatred for what happened to his father now settled into morbid understanding. He was less cold to his teammates and was on better terms with Hiashi.

But there was always her. Hinata. Did he hate his cousin? He wasn't sure. He did not feel the hatred he felt for her all those years leading up to the Chuunin Exams. He felt something else, just as intense, perhaps even more intense, but different. He couldn't tell you if you asked him.

He began with a basic kata, gracefully and effortlessly flowing through the movements. He then moved on to a more advanced kata, dancing with deadly precision that just came naturally to the young genius. He trained until he could barely stand, and then he rose and continued to train even harder. He needed this; training took his mind off of everything else.

He would need a clear head if he was to survive dinner tonight.

Neji looked at himself in the mirror; his cursed seal mark glaring back at him angrily. He sighed as he wrapped the usual bandages around his forehead and headed off to the dining hall.

The entire room was wrapped in complete silence. Hinata was late. Hinata was never late. Neji began to wonder if maybe she was still lying out there in the Hyuuga training field unable to move.

"Neji," Neji looked up.

"Yes Hiashi-sama?"

"Retrieve Hinata, God knows we can't start dinner without every member of the Main Family present,"

"As you wish Hiashi-sama,"

Neji rose from his place on the table and treaded his way towards Hinata's room. Hopefully she was there; it would be more than a little awkward to present Hinata's unconscious body to the Council.

Neji knocked on her door three times and waited. No answer. He knocked again, louder this time, but still with no reply.

This placed a feeling of uneasiness in the pit of his stomach. Was she really still lying there in the grass all alone? Where any other man could just waltz in and-

Neji hurriedly slide the door open and stepped inside. She wasn't there. Then he heard the faint spray of a shower and was relieved. But the relief didn't last long as it quickly made way for anger. The exact reason why he was angry eluded Neji, but that really didn't matter.

Fuming, he stomped his way over to her bathroom, but paused at the door to compose himself. He took a deep breath then opened the door.

The heat and humidity to be expected from a bathroom enveloped him as he looked towards the ridiculously over-decorated behemoth of a shower. He was about to berate her but stopped dead in his tracks.

The outline of Hinata's figure could be seen through the fogged, but all the same transparent glass.

He could clearly see her milky white skin, slight curves, budding chest…

Dumbfounded, he wondered when how in the hell Hinata had become so feminine without his knowing. He drew in a sharp breath as several fantasies flitted through his mind.

This wasn't the first time. Neji was an adolescent young man; of course this kind of this was going to happen, it was only natural.

But the strange thing was, all of his fantasies, sexual or otherwise, starred Hinata.

Neji nearly fainted at what he saw next. Hinata. Was. Fondling. Her. Breasts. Well not exactly, but it sure as hell looked like it.

Neji's mind went completely blank, and he felt the oddest sensations course through his body. He had to put a stop to this before it got out of hand.

"Hinata-sama," he called out, trying to clear himself of any of the lingering sensations that had nearly shook his body just moments before.

Neji heard something akin to a mouse's squeak, followed by splash.

"N-Neji-niisan! What are y-y-y-," she was flustered, Neji could tell. But he knew it was because Hinata was raised to be a proper Lady, and this was a natural reaction for her.

It made him angry that he didn't draw any special reaction from her. No, not angry, he was furious.

"Your father sent me. You are late for dinner," he managed to get the words out before looking like a damn fool.

"Of c-course Neji-niisan. Thank you for informing me, please tell father I will be there in a few minutes," Neji automatically walked through her bathroom door, closed it, and walked out of her bedroom, once again making his way to the dining hall.

Neji entered the extravagant room and gave a curt bow.

"Hinata-sama is currently on her way, I met her while she was returning from her private training grounds. She will freshen up and be here in a few minutes," As Neji calmly made his way to his place at the table, the Elders murmured their input.

Neji didn't bother with their replies, he was too busy thinking of ways to punish Hinata uring their next training session.

Soon he could feel Hinata's presence coming towards the room. She stopped at the door and everyone looked towards it expectantly. They waited. And waited. Hiashi groaned then shook his head, resting his forehead into his hand.

Suddenly Hanabi shouted, "We know you're out there HINATA! Hurry and open the door, moron! We've been waiting forever!"

Finally the door opened. Neji looked expectantly as Hinata hesitantly entered the room and gave a low bow. She did not look at him once.

"Hiashi-sama, honorable Council, forgive me. My lateness in inexcusable," Neji picked up on the practiced tone of her words. It probably took a lot of rehearsing for her to not butcher the entire sentence with her stuttering.

Michiko, one of the Elders, rolled her eyes, "Well get on with it, some of us would like to eat sometime tonight,"

Hinata looked relieved, to which Neji inwardly cringed at.

Hinata's emotions were always so clearly written on her face, he often wondered how she could be Hyuuga at all.

Neji fixed his searing gaze on Hinata as she took her place at the table. But Hinata seemed determined to keep her eyes every which way to avoid him. This infuriated Neji even further, and although he didn't show it, he felt like using his not-so-Gentle-Fist to knock her through a couple of walls for ignoring him.

"_Compose yourself Neji. You can do this. You must not let her effect you like this..."_

Neji took a deep breath and cleared himself of his raging emotions. But his eyes still lingered on Hinata.

As luck would have it's way, Hinata suddenly looked right at him, which surprised him at first, but he was then shocked as she shrieked and fell backwards as if he had struck her.

Neji could have facepalmed as the entire table became silent, all of it's patrons staring at Hinata like she had just become an alien.

In a very Hinata-like manner, she quickly apologized then stared down at her food, her face aflame. Everyone then just shrugged it off and resumed their meals.

Neji glanced at Hiashi, who had seemingly completely ignored the incident, preferring to speak with his personal assistant about some clan representation problem.

"Neji-san, how has your training with Hinata-sama been progressing as of late?" a clansman inquired.

Neji really did not feel like answering but basic social etiquette required him to continue the conversation.

The dinner seemed to slowly crawl on and on before it finally died.

Neji was annoyed, as he did not get to speak with Hinata about the mission he and his team would be on for the next two weeks.

He disentangled himself from the annoying main branch pawn and looked to Hinata only to find her nearly sprinting down the hall like she was running a million dollar marathon.

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Hinata was the epitome of lady-like, the perfect woman. But once in a while she did things that were just…strange.

He followed her at a much more casual pace. Arriving at her door, he knocked three times and waited.

"Just a second!" he heard Hinata call.

A good three minutes later, Hinata hurriedly slid the door open.

"What took you so long?" Neji was genuinely curious.

"Sorry Neji-niisan I-I was dr-dressing," Hinata looked shyly down at the floor, her pale cheeks stained a rose-like red.

Neji automatically looked down at her nightgown.

Big mistake.

The flimsy excuse for a nightdress was clearly see through, showing off the bodice he had gotten an eyeful of just a few hours earlier. And Hinata, it seems did NOT sleep with a bra on.

The sensations were back, now stronger than ever, and now all Neji wanted to do was throw her up against her bedroom wall and beat her until her throat was raw with the amount of times his name had escaped her lips. And then he would…

Well, Neji wasn't sure what he would do next. He had to stop his train of thought NOW before he went into that all too familiar state of mind…

"I see,"

" At any rate, I am here to inform you we will not be meeting for training for the next two weeks. I have been assigned a mission,"

"I-I understand niisan," Neji's heart stopped when she gave him the most beautiful smile before speaking again.

"I hope you will come back to us quite unharmed," her big beautifully expressive eyes were so genuine, so earnest, he almost really did throw her up against the wall, but not with his original intentions.

"Yes…goodnight then Hinata-sama," Neji bowed.

He had to force himself to leave the room so that he wouldn't seriously harm the Hyuuga heiress.

XXX

He gripped the porcelain sink in his bathroom after splashing cold water on his face several times. He was panting heavily, staring at his reflection in the mirror.

What the hell was happening to him?

**Um..so what do you think? Tips and such are very welcome!**

** -Lollimint**


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